Narrative:

We were given radar vectors to intercept the VOR or GPS a approach at ksmo. When I armed nav the airplane started towards darts. The FMS did not sequence during the radar vectors. I clicked off the autopilot and started hand flying the plane. I ask the other pilot to call my altitudes and got self-established on the approach. Reaching bevey intersection I started down for 1;120 the minimums for a D category. Out of about 2;100 feet the other pilot called airport in sight. I looked up and thought I saw the airport and started down aggressively because what I was focusing on was not the runway. At about 1;300 feet I realized my mistake and arrested my decent. We went to about 1;000 feet then I climbed back to 1;300 until I intercepted the VASI lights.what I first focused on was a building that had a solid cement center. Connected to the center on both sides are black windows. The alignment of this building in relation to the runway is almost a perfect straight line. In the air it looks exactly like smo runway 21. When I first looked out I really thought it was the runway. It would have help if the other pilot had questioned me on what I was doing. I am not making any excuses; I messed up at a very critical phase of flight. Now that I know of the optical illusion on that approach it will never happen again. After talking to a pilot who flies into smo all the time he said that he knew exactly what I was talking about. I feel a little note to beware of the building would help. I have been flying for thirty years and never had anything like this happen. This may never happen again; but if I made the mistake; history says someone else is going to do the same thing.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: Corporate jet Captain reported ground reference ambiguities in looking for the landing runway. Crew regained situational awareness and landed normally.

Narrative: We were given radar vectors to intercept the VOR or GPS A approach at KSMO. When I armed Nav the airplane started towards DARTS. The FMS did not sequence during the radar vectors. I clicked off the autopilot and started hand flying the plane. I ask the other pilot to call my altitudes and got self-established on the approach. Reaching BEVEY Intersection I started down for 1;120 the minimums for a D category. Out of about 2;100 feet the other pilot called airport in sight. I looked up and thought I saw the airport and started down aggressively because what I was focusing on was not the runway. At about 1;300 feet I realized my mistake and arrested my decent. We went to about 1;000 feet then I climbed back to 1;300 until I intercepted the VASI lights.What I first focused on was a building that had a solid cement center. Connected to the center on both sides are black windows. The alignment of this building in relation to the runway is almost a perfect straight line. In the air it looks exactly like SMO runway 21. When I first looked out I really thought it was the runway. It would have help if the other pilot had questioned me on what I was doing. I am not making any excuses; I messed up at a very critical phase of flight. Now that I know of the optical illusion on that approach it will never happen again. After talking to a pilot who flies into SMO all the time he said that he knew exactly what I was talking about. I feel a little note to beware of the building would help. I have been flying for thirty years and never had anything like this happen. This may never happen again; but if I made the mistake; history says someone else is going to do the same thing.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site and automatically converted to unabbreviated mixed upper/lowercase text. This report is for informational purposes with no guarantee of accuracy. See NASA's ASRS site for official report.